Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!think.com!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!world!eff!rita From: rita@eff.org (Rita Marie Rouvalis) Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk Subject: Re: Student suspended for distributing /etc/passwd Message-ID: <1991Jun18.134516.23122@eff.org> Date: 18 Jun 91 13:45:16 GMT References: <1991Jun16.042916.15434@athena.cs.uga.edu> Organization: The Electronic Frontier Foundation Lines: 33 In article rogue@cellar.UUCP (Rache McGregor) writes: >mcovingt@athena.cs.uga.edu (Michael A. Covington) writes: > > >> Computers at Georgia are not funded by student activity fees or lab fees. >> The main UNIX system was donated to the University by Sun Microsystems >> and is operated by the Department of Computer Science as a service to >> the University community. So this student is not being denied anything >> that he paid for. > >This is not to defend the student, but I'm of the "school" that if a student >is paying tuition, they're paying for the entire university, and that >anything (not underwitten by the defense department and requiring a security >clearnce) set up for student use should be open to all students. Just a small point here. But if the accused student is paying for those computers, so is everyone else. And if that student acts to deny the rest of the students the proper access of the system, or compromises the system in some way, then he should not be allowed to. I used to work in the student union of my university overseeing the pool tables etc. Occasionally we would get some bonehead who would break a triangle or stick or something on purpose. The defense was always "Well, I paid for it with my student activity fee." My reply was always "So did I." -- Rita Marie Rouvalis (NB new address!!) rita@eff.org The Electronic Frontier Foundation | when this yellow rose leaned, 155 Second Street | cupping yesterday's rain, Cambridge, MA 02141 | glassy drops extravagant and poised.